iPhone365 #193: my eyes

I went to my new eye doctor and he told me with a big smile that my optic nerves are big and fat. I wonder if I should be flattered.
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iPhone365 #192: gray and wet

A typical rainy day capped by a strange evening: appetizers of pita and hummus with a nice bottle of champagne (thanks to Randy) followed by a dinner of eggs and pancakes with Sprite. Long story, but that's the gist of it.
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iPhone365 #191: roots

We just finished the first three hours of Roots.
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iPhone365 #190: new century

I took this picture on the way home after seeing The New Century at the Diversionary Theater. We are so used to getting on the freeway that we forget how easy and direct surface streets could be.
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iPhone365 #189: daily grind

On our way to Panera for a late lunch, we changed the plan when we passed by this local cafe and decided to try it. I ordered grilled salmon on foccacia bread. An odd sandwich, I thought, so I gave it a try. I won't order that one again.
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iPhone365 #188: breakfast

This is definitely, absolutely, unquestionably so much better than going to IHOP, or DZ Akins, or Antique Row Cafe.
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iPhone365 #187: christmas

We spent Christmas with what I consider our "precious circle": friends near and dear to my heart who make San Diego home for us. Breakfast with Daniel, dinner with Randy and Henry, Matthew and Hai, and Victor and Derek. With Marilyn and Marie France completing the dinner table, I couldn't ask for a better time.
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iPhone365 #186: christmas eve

'Twas the day before christmas
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring...
... because I went to work.

I know it doesn't rhyme.
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iPhone365 #185: mug shot

Two rows of mugs hanging under the kitchen cabinet at work. The owners use them because they like their cups, but I wonder if they realize that they're being "green" because they use less styrofoam cups...
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iPhone365 #184: avatar 3d

Amazing.
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iPhone365 #183: still life

Not pheasants and pears, but brushes and blades.
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iPhone365 #182: birthday

Michael capped his birthday with a cherry-topped strawberry shake.
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iPhone365 #181: rinse

I used to think orange-flavored mouthwash was disgusting. Now I prefer it over the green stuff.
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iPhone365 #180: sugar

Peanut brittle is the last thing I needed to put in my mouth after having my teeth cleaned this morning.
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iPhone365 #179: brain

This is your brain on cough drops. Okay, I have to agree this is very random. It's a small brain coral from Bali sitting on a pile of Halls wrappers from the last time I had a bad cold. Why it's still on my desk, I dont know. But I know I'm taking a needed break from another 12-hour workday.
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iPhone365 #178: acapulco lunch

Full of platanos and corn tamales after the department's Christmas lunch at Acapulco Restaurant at Old Town, I decided to burn off a little of the calories I gained by walking across the street to check out the old Victorian houses at the park. The houses were pretty. The walk was too short.
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iPhone365 #177: lights

The street is now lit up with twinkling lights, from old-fashioned incandescent to cool LEDs. Our house, however, is still unadorned. We haven't had the time since we came back from our trip.
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iPhone365 #176: sunshine

The storm is gone.
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iPhone365 #175: denial

Work is backed up? Naah...
What am I doing here on a Sunday? Well... um...
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iPhone365 #174: misty

My weekend-long babysitting gig with the neighbors' cats got cut short: Dennis and Carol decided to return early because of the storm.
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iPhone365 #173: pen on paper

There is nothing that feels better than creating something out of nothing -- concepts and ideas translated into forms using the most rudimentary tools like pen and paper.
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iPhone365 #172: repeat

The house is quiet. It is the end of another long day.
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iPhone365 #171: long day

My first work day was a long one: a last-minute interior design contract I couldn't say no to in addition to a big backlog in the lab. I started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 10:00 p.m. It will be the same for the rest of the week. I shouldn't complain, and I'm not complaining -- I'm doing two things that I enjoy. But I am keeping in mind what the orange cones on the street are saying: proceed slowly and with caution.
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iPhone365 #170: beef stew

After a three-hour flight on a cold evening, nothing could be better than Marilyn's beef stew waiting for us at home.
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iPhone365 #169: trolleying

I decided to get a four-dollar day pass and ride the trolley around downtown San Antonio since it looked like we were going to have drizzle the whole day. I thought it was the best way to see the rest of downtown while staying warm and dry. My conclusion: it is much better to see this city on foot.
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Location:San Antonio,United States

iPhone365 #168: st. joseph church

While Michael was in his seminar, I took a walk along the east-west axis of downtown San Antonio on Market and Commerce, roughly following the Riverwalk all the way to the San Fernando Cathedral. I was checking out the attractions pointed out in our hotel's destination guide.

A block away from the hotel I passed by this small church that I would have missed had I not stopped to tie my shoelaces. I have been to one our two Gothic cathedrals, but to find by accident a small church with a beautiful altar not mentioned in any of the guides I looked at definitely made my day.
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Location:Elm,San Antonio,United States

iPhone365 #167: the alamo

Who goes to San Antonio and doesn't see the Alamo? It's like asking who goes to Ireland and doesn't have a pint of beer, or to California and doesn't get on a freeway, or to a Filipino party and doesn't eat lumpia.

The old mission church is smaller than I had imagined, but the whole mission is bigger than I expected. The history is more colorful and interesting than I thought, which is always the case: we were all taught history as simply a collection of names and dates instead of a mesh of interweaving stories, influences, decisions and consequences, and causes and effects.

And the Alamo does not have a basement. Don't believe Pee Wee Herman.
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Location:I- 37 Access Rd,San Antonio,United States

iPhone365 #166: san antonio

Quite a change in temperature in three days! We left the high 80's of Manila on December 1, and tonight we are freezing our a**es off in the mid 30's of San Antonio, TX.
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Location:E Commerce St,San Antonio,United States

iPhone365 #165: u.s. grant hotel

On the way back from the airport after picking up Marilyn, we avoided the heavy traffic jam on Grape Street by driving all the way down to Broadway only to find out that the backup was due to the freight train that goes up north from the docks at night. The detour gave us a surprise treat: the U. S. Grant Hotel festively lit up in Christmas red and green. I have to admit it's borderline gaudy, but it was a treat nonetheless.
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iPhone365 #164: jet lagged

I have found that travelling eastward is much more difficult than westward as far as recovering from jet lag is concerned. It has held true whether I travel to Europe or Asia. Today I woke up after 4pm and just finished breakfast/dinner at 6:33.
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iPhone365 #163: game over

I steal a shot outside my window as our Southwest Airlines flight lands in San Diego from San Francisco. I'm extremely sad that our vacation is over, but happy that I'll get to see my dog again.
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