the wind turns up the soil

Spent yesterday afternoon in Livermore winetasting that area. We ate at Garre. They are a restaurant/winery. Their spinach/crab dip appetizer was quite good. The duck confit was overly sauced for my sister's taste. The meatballs and linguine were more meatballs than anything else and slightly overpacked. But a decent meal overall, not great, but decent.

The wind kicked up outside and we walked by the Bocce Ball court where a group of friends popped open a couple of bottles of wine and aimed for the small white marker ball. Their tasting room was free. We tried their flight but weren't really impressed by any of them. I was sipping and spitting since I was driving afterwards. Maybe they needed more time, maybe more aeration and maybe we won't buy a bottle right now.

Next stop was Bodegas, where my sister loves the pinor noir or was that petite syrah. They carried a very tasty flight. I bought a bottle of the merlot. The wind whisked away any warmth between the doorway to the car. And my sister thought her tongue was done, but I convinced her, eh, let's try one more, a threesome, so we stopped by Steven Kent and LaRochelle which sit on the same lot. Steven Kent was packed with folks since it was in the middle of their winery row, called Tesla Road. They set aside large blocks of gruyere for you to carve and a table full of costume jewelry for sale. Lots of distractions. The wine was a bit better than Garre, but the price and the taste just didn't work for us.

Off the main building was nice cute building marked LaRochelle. It looked closed. But when we entered, there were tables and wine glasses lined up on each side of the tables. For $15, you could pick one of two flights and share a food pairing for the wines. Hmmm...ok...we could find room in our stomach for this one and we could sit in the car while I waited out the wine consumption. We had a great time here, nice leisurely sipping, with a full plate for various cheeses, olive and fig tapanade, and truffle mousse to mix and match. My sister got one flight and I got the Pinot Noir flight. We found the Pinot Gris just as the description noted, "assertively acidic". Fortunately the triple creme French cheese killed its assertiveness and really brought out the softer fruity side. I ended up buying a couple of bottles of an Oregon Pinot Noir that I thought was both good and at a decent price.

My sister tells me that they don't want to be like Napa. And even though they don't want to be like Napa, some of the places sure price like Napa! Alot of young wineries here many which cropped up only in the last couple of years, so it'll be interesting to see how they develop.

What to do with the other hand?

In response to Eileen who asks, "what do you do with the other hand as you take down three baddies, Michelle? Sip tea? With pinkie delicately pointing to the sky?".

It's always that hand that you're not paying attention to, that makes everything happen. In this school we concern ourselves with the masculine and feminine sides. In this case my dominant hand the right one, is the masculine energy, where I hold the weapon, my power hand as it were. The left hand is the feminine hand, the ones that guides, directs, manipulates and counter balances the right hand.

But in this particular instance, the knife, what we consider a feminine weapon at least in the way we use it, is in my right hand. The Female Knife, what we call what I'm doing, isn't the Psycho-movie slashing or jabbing that you see in movies which is more masculine. The Female Knife is hidden. And in this case, it is hidden and protected by the left hand.

And here's the part that I think will be the most fascinating aspect...Tuhan described these hands once not has male and female, but as mother and son. The Son being the knife hand is being fed and protected by the Mother, the empty hand. If you watch closely, it's this open hand that makes contact and feeds the baddie to the knife hand. You see this when my hands are relatively close together when engaging the baddie. The Mother feeds her Son. While not engaged with the baddie, the Mother protects the Son by hiding him. So you see the knife disappear behind my left arm often. Then at times, the Mother allows the Son to venture off on his own but always nearby. You can see this when my knife hand shoots to the baddie's throat and my other hand is left behind clearing the baddie's punching hand. The Mother still tries to ensure the Son's safety even when she allows him to venture off. Afterall, can't have a cloistered Son, especially when baddies are around. The Knife must do what the Knife was meant to do and the open hand must encourage and allow that for it to be effective.

In any case, lately I've become quite taken by the fan as a weapon, which my sister had been practicing with for a while and had used them in her kali wedding demo. I didn't learn the fan explicitly. A couple of weeks ago Tuhan had me use it. (This is a typical expectation for black belts to be given a weapon then just use it and use it well, simply based on what you understand of weapons and what you've observed so far) I found myself quite into it and that especially when I got into really using it, I could feel the fan enter my body as I formed to the fan. I danced Singkil fan one year in PCN and have always loved the movement of the fans. There are still many things for me to learn about the fan, but it's so much fun to learn a weapon that feels rather natural.

Now, Fan, is a weapon where you can sip tea and hold out your pinky on, not only is it allowed, it is encouraged because it's what the fan wants you to do. You see, they often talked about how the Barong Tagalog was made so the Filipinos couldn't hide weapons, but how could they ban a Donya's fan? Pocket fans aren't as popular in the Philippines now that alot of people have electric fans and there is AC in malls, but I remember grandmothers would whack kids with those fans. Don't tell them a fan can't hurt you! There are weapon aspects to the structure of the fan, but I think what I like most about the fan is the weapon that it brings out of me: seduction.

Having said that, I'm still not sure what it means, but am intrigued to find out. Besides sticks are so unwieldy when traveling.

And wasn't bodyguard on that list of things Ninangs were entitled to along with computer tech support?

Every day should be the International Women's Day, dammit!

Ernesto Priego is a rockin' writer and live DJ over at his podcast.

Today he's posted a song in tribute to all the women he knows. Here's what he says:

It's a humble way of celebrating your intelligence, beauty and strength.

Every day should be the International Women's Day, dammit.

I know it's until tomorrow, but I didn't know if I'd have time to post it, so here it is one day before the Day.

You can share in the celebration as well, by popping on the headphones and listening to that song and other songs Señor DJ E has posted!

Coming Soon, Spring 2008: Journeys Within: The Princess Arisen

Journeys Within: The Princess Arisen
Red Malong (2008)

I fell in love with the Princess Josephine the first time I heard Tuhan tell her story during a demo at CSU (what was then Hayward) for the Sikilohiyang Pilipino conference in 1994. I had gone there on a whim. Ross, a senior at UC Berkeley and head of PAA, invited me to go. I was a freshman who lived at home, but he thought I was a junior transfer.

A friend who practiced Cabales style escrima also was doing a demonstration there. I was looking for a new martial arts school at the time, having swiftly realized that I was not fit for judo and it's slamming into the ground ways.

Tuhan and Guro Ira did the demo. I remember listening intently as he told the tale of the Princess Josephine and of Grandmaster Villabrille's search for a master. I had seen several martial arts schools, but nothing resonated in me like this. I didn't sign up right away. The classes were in San Francisco. San Francisco was still a far away place that my nascent driving skills had not traversed. It would be later when some guy friends agreed to check out the class with me in one of the old factory garment buildings just off the bridge that are now high end condos. I never looked back.

The tale of the Princess Josephine comes alive again in this journey of sisterhood as the Princess Josephine and her cousin Jin, like their mothers before them take the journey to the land of the Little People. They are the Frog women, guardians and leaders of their tribe, who watch and study the signs of nature. With the omen of the earth's demise rumbling under their feet, can they return to complete their compact with the Little People to bring balance to the world once more? It is a journey that tests their will, their spirit, their bodies as they face the demons of the past in order to make the hard choices of today to save the world's future.

I cannot tell you how giddy I am about this book coming out! Once you start, you cannot wait to see how it ends!

a time of fruition

Alot of things that have been going on at work in particular that are pushing me to the forefront to take a leadership role in the group. I'm getting used to slipping into the roles and challenges. And deep down it's a role that I actually enjoy playing and that I've naturally gravitated to.

And yet, there was a part of me that flashed back to old fears. The last time I remember feeling this way was when someone first asked me after I had been promoted to Gura if I would teach them, if I would start a class. No, no, no, I said, I have plans, I was going to move across the country and I don't know do something. But door after door closed in that direction and the one door left was the road to teaching kali. I'm not crazy enough to ignore the messages, especially one so drawn out in large letters. But I still had my doubts of being ready, of being good enough even though everyone around me thought it was a natural step.

I had similar fears about this too. No, no, no, I'm not supposed to be focused on this, I'm supposed to be focused on other things. But what can you do? I always told myself that when opportunities arise so big and so obvious that I would always make sure to take them despite myself. I already know what my life is like now and what it would be if I don't take the opportunity, but oh what will my life be like when I do take the risk. I may hem and haw about taking a leap of faith, but I'm often the one to close my eyes and make the jump.

I chatted online with a friend and she puts it bluntly, "We're women. We can handle it. We do it all the time!" And then I remember and my fears go away. Sometimes I just forget that well, this is what women do. And it all doesn't seem so huge anymore.

There's a difference between planning for the future and controlling the future. The latter is impossible to do as there are timelines and arcs and just plain luck that you're just not aware of. That you can plan for the future, but at the same time things happen when they happen and you just deal with it and roll with it when it happens.

And I really have to remember, that life is good and these things that are happening are good, so why not accept goodness into one's life. And you can't be afraid to step up and claim that.

threading

a few days before the wedding, my sister and I went to get our eyebrows threaded at a shop near the campus. I'd gotten my brows plucked before, a dreadful experience I really hated. But a coworker recommended threading and I always wanted to try it. She said that her Taiwanese grandmother told her that brides would get their entire face threaded before the wedding. I wonder if that was to give them a super smooth face. My coworker has since gone to waxing, but I can't bear to think of letting anyone put hot wax near my eyes or face.

It was the Saturday of the big Tennessee game (which Cal won! go Bears!) so we had to pay extra to even park somewhere.

There was a line of women at the shop and I'm thinking it will take an hour to get through folks, but each session was about 5-7 minutes, done!

Pros: Because they take the hair off in a line, it's much easier for them to see the shape of the brow immediately. They yank a whole line of hair in a blink. No stabbing the eye area. really easy to get the under brow area. Super clean look. less than $10.

Cons: well like most hair removal it hurts (I don't know how most women can sit there without flinching.) And in my case I was allergic to the finishing oil they put, which went away with soap and water. (glad it wasn't the day of the wedding!)

We were hooked! Best damn eyebrow experience we've ever had!

best list from this weekend

Best they'll take all the stuff you want to dump and sweep too - 1-800-GotJunk, quick, professional, and they sweep up to make it look like they and your crap were never there!

Best yumminess food created at a buffet - Alaskan snow crabs sauteed with butter, garlic, tomatos, cilantro, green onions

Best post out all night partying drink - Gatorade to keep hydrated and get your salts rebalanced if not your equilibrium

Best pair of heels I ever had - a pair of gray strappy heels from Ross that had plastic to hold the straps in place so it held form for a good 7 hours and never once cut into my feet

Best place to party if you know every word to every song in VH1's Best of the 80s - Polyester's at the Stratosphere, the 80s section was the happening floor, the 90s music sucked, the Present was ok, and the 70s was full of people that thought the light up grid dancefloor is used to designate their own personal space (sucky). But another bonus, they had this lit board of the Brady Bunch where you could insert yourself in as the Alice position and take a picture.

Best drivers for a group of partying drinking cousins - Long Term Boyfriends (who are dating cousins), the ones especially who have gone out for a long while and are now hoping to score brownie points and approval from the rest of family, as in, beginning the servitude portion of their dowry commitment

Best place to shop within reasonable budgets in vegas - Las Vegas Outlet on Warm Springs and Las Vegas Blvd: scored a dark blue formal dress, a super cute party dress, and a just right size silver party purse.

Best flight to vegas if you have no more sick or vacation time left and want to maximize your weekend - Aloha Airlines who red eyes on Friday evening and gets you back to the bay by 7:30a, in time to make it to work by 9.

Best cheapest place for family fun - Bowling Alley at South Point casino, 64 lanes, $2.90 per game, plus cheap food.

Best counter servicepeople for a rental car agency - Thrifty Rent a Car. They had the most patient service people even though their company policies force them to create a line of disgruntled clients because they had to take people in their "club" first before anyone else because the special club line is closed after midnight.

Best arty nouveau burlesque - Crazy Horse, Paris at the MGM. What they do with lights is amazing. Not overtly sexual like Zumanity, but a show that really does something more to the senses than just having topless women. So sexy and sensual, you just don't realize how much til after it's over. Plus the women and (we think one man) came in all forms and breast sizes (au natural or enhanced). The French do appreciate the woman's body in all forms. Show also includes some comedic interludes with a card trick magician and a very funny midget Michael Jackson puppet show.

happens there, stays there

Off to Las Vegas tonight for a family bachelorette party for my sister. Should be fun! Alas, no bloggedy blogging about it. Because, well, you know.

Her fiance is having his bachelor party this weekend too, a volleyball bbq I think. Or maybe that's the ploy.

Sting side seats!

I had never gone to a big stadium concert before. I actually bought the tickets and tried to resell them online, but I didn't have any takers so I decided to go with my sister. Can we say, SOOOOOO COOOOOOL! And bonus that we were 5 rows from the stage on the aisle AND that Sting was on our side of the stage!

We got there early and listened to the two English bands that played before the Police made it to the stage. Fortunately for us the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic was passing out earplugs with a donation. I tell you, I would have paid $10 for the pair.

It was an interesting crowd with people bringing their kids (some of whom looked bored and probably didn't think all of this was a big deal). Some folks thought they were still 20 and partied a little too hard before the show. But for the most part it was an over-35 crowd. We actually saw them looking out the window of their green room in one of the luxury booths above left field at the Coliseum. Everyone commented on how they'd never seen the stadium this packed. Which goes to show that as much as I love the Oakland A's, the city and county will probably make way more money when they're gone simply because it can be used for more big music concerts like the Police. For the touring musicians, you can't beat the ability to play a gig then head out on the flight to their next gig.

The Police was certainly showing their age. Sting's hairline is closer to his ears than his chin, but he's still looking pretty fit and fine, must be all that tantric yoga he was talking about on Oprah. Even Sting's bass was worn down to the wood where he rested his arm, but Andy could stroke his guitar without you even seeing him move his fingers. I was impressed with his guitar technique. Steven just looked like he was having fun and actually all of them were. There was some joking between the three on stage and something going on between Sting and Andy because at some point my sister noticed Andy throw Sting the finger. hehe.

Their set seemed to fly by. They closed with Roxanne, but called back three times to the stage before the crowd decided it was way past their bedtime.

Folks in our section were quite friendly and folks who had gone to get more beers would offer to get us something. We didn't know them, but it was nice of them to ask. Security on the field was quite good and they managed to keep the crowd from rushing the stage too much. Either that or the older crowd just weren't going to storm the stage anymore. I mean, we all stood for the show, but we all had seats, as opposed to a standing room only area in front of the stage.

I was able to take some pictures from my cell phone. I tried getting video but the sound was so loud you can barely make out the song. But hey, I have proof we were there having a blast!

Although I sing Roxanne often in karaoke, I think my favorite song from the Police is "everything she does is magic". My sister was the bigger Police fan, so she knew 90% of the songs. I think if I were to go to another big concert, I'd want to go to a Prince concert, because you know that's going to be a party.

wedding gown shopping

All this weekend, I've been wedding gown shopping. OK, not me necessarily, but for my sister who will be tying the knot this year. And though I am not her maid of honor, as part of sisterhood duties since her MOH is out sick this weekend, I've had to be the wedding gown escort, or as I like to call it the Reality Check Girl. (Put that one in the book, D!) Because as the soon to be bride you can put on that dress start imagining your wedding day and then fall in love with the dress, even though this dress may make you look like you have no legs or like a toothpick.

I got my mother's family body type: long torso, thin arms, small chest. My sister got my dad's family body type: short torso, thicker arms, and the ability to fill out a halter top. So while I went with a fish tail skirt and small cap sleeves, my sister will be looking for something completely the opposite.

After a family gathering in SF, we managed to make it to the Bridal Superstore in Richmond near Ranch 99 with 45 minutes to spare. And while my sister thought that we would not have enough time to find a dress and try something on, it took me about 5 minutes to race down 2 aisles with the parameters she gave me to locate 3 dresses for her to try on. Even if the dresses didn't look good or weren't quite right, we could at least narrow down her selections of what not to wear.

From my "girlie" year, I learned that clothing is about emphasizing the positive while minimizing the negative. To get the hourglass shape, you have to create two triangles in the upper body and lower body, while avoiding rectangles and other 4 sided shapes.

She already knew she wants a sheer bolero jacket to thin out the arms and give her shoulders a nice defined line. Other things that went on the what not to wear list: small cap sleeves which made her arms look huge, no flat neck lines that just make her look wide, no halter tops unless she just wants to show off her chest and nothing else, and nothing too slim cut or overly poofy skirts.

She tried on two dresses before the place closed down. Yes to the 3/4 length sleeves on the bolero to make her arms look thin because she has lovely forearms. Yes, to the ivory color, because white white detracts from looking at her face.

The next day we decide to a try another bridal shop, a well known chain store for bridal wear, which was packed with 2 hours left in the day, they didn't even have enough people to be able to show her any dresses. The selection seemed rather sparce for her size and I think that's because they just make you order everything. So we ditched that place and went back to the original store to try on more dresses.

We found the original woman who helped us out yesterday and went back to the racks to find more dresses. After trying on some 9 dresses, she narrowed it down to three. I like her top pick: a sloping sweetheart neckline, light sparkling beading on the bust and at the bottom of the train, built in corset around the waist, and a princess cut skirt (think Cinderella's skirt with that A pleat in the front), and a lovely Cathedral length train. My sister didn't think she wanted a train, but darling, once you see the train, oh yes, you'll most certainly want one, unless of course you're getting married on the beach in the Bahamas. Plus she has the height for it. She's not quite as tall as me, but she's decently tall and the train flows down nicely from that height.

The 2nd choice, has a bit more beadwork, she'll have to add the sweetheart neckline, which makes her look 3 inches thinner compared to the flat neckline, and with a neutral wide band ribbon, again emphasizing the distinction between top and bottom and the hourglass middle. It too has the princess cut skirt.

The 3rd choice, I'm not all thrilled about. Lots of beading up top with none on the bottom, so it makes it look like her body is floating on a big cloud, which is fine if you want the illusion of height, but since she has height, why bother?

Anyway, we'll be there again soon to bring our mom to look at the dresses. My sister will need to decide in the next month or so on the dress as her wedding is now less than a year away. She'll have to refine the finances a bit too adding the estimates for alteration and accessories.

90% of the dresses in the stores were strapless dresses, which work off the rack if: you are a B/C chest, have thin arms, small waist. Basically, you have the upper triangle already. However, on most everyone else, strapless doesn't look horrible, but it doesn't look fabulous either. And if you're the skinny top girl, you'll spend your entire wedding day imagining your dress hanging down at your waist. I've never understood the idea of buying the dress, then working out really hard hoping to mold your body into that dress. It's just much easier to buy the dress that makes your already beautiful body look incredible.