La Mar

Last weekend my roommate Nadia, her sister Tatyana, and I went to La Mar in San Francisco for some Peruvian ceviche. It is completely unfortunate I didn't even think to take pictures.

With the exception of a ceviche salad I had at the Apple cafeteria, this was the first time I got to eat ceviche. I sort of knew what to expect from watching Bourdain and Zimmerman on the travel channel. But for this trip, I let Nadia and Tatyana take lead and do the ordering, given their expertise. ^_^

If you've eaten sushi, then ceviche is no different in terms of the "gross factor". It is essentially raw seafood that has been "cooked" by marinating it in lemon juice and onion. The acid supposedly kills the bacteria that would otherwise be harmful.

La Mar is really nice. We sat at this lounge-like table in the bar area, which suited us. We each got an order of ceviche and shared an appetizer of empanadas and a dessert sampler. Expensive, of course, but I think well worth it for the special trip it was. I think anyone from Peru or Panama would balk at the prices, but then, the atmosphere was really good too.

I was really surprised how full I was from just eating the ceviche. We didn't even bother with the entrees we were so full.

Funny thing though. I went to the bathroom there and it was like complete night and day between the environment in the restaurant and the bathroom. The bathroom looked like it had no place belonging to as nice a restaurant as La Mar and it almost made me suspicious of the restaurant (sanitation of a bathroom should be a measurement of the sanitation of the restaurant, I think. Everyone there has to use the bathroom at some point). But then as I walked out, thinking "man, maybe this restaurant isn't as awesome as it is pretending to be" I see this sign by the door that says that the bathroom exists b/c of historic preservation. And in my head I go "ah... I see." The plaque answered the question in my head. Guess they knew. :P

INTJ

Have you ever taken a Myers-Briggs test before? They are long and tedious, but I don't know. I think they can be accurate.

I am an INTJ. And I laughed at how well the test had nailed me down, especially the faults. Heck, all the reasons of why I dislike/have-trouble-with/don't-understand/tend-to-end-early dating fit the INTJ persona.

Try googling Myers-Briggs test. They have ones that charge you money, but there are plenty that are free online too. Tell me what you get?

Update

Well I'm not good at this. Seems when life gets busy, my time with my hobbies goes away. Perhaps I should learn some better time management or prioritization? Or maybe there just aren't enough hours in the day. Although lately, I've been needing less sleep and feeling more energized, which has given me more hours in the day to accomplish stuff. I think I give credit to 2 factors: being back in CA (and thus, being away from the more severe of my allergies) and taking high dosages of Vitamin D. 

I've been researching the supplement since I started taking them. Clinically they are only given credit to bone health and prevention of osteoperosis. But for me, since taking them, I feel like I am more energized and therefore, more happy and motivated. Sun does that to people, right? I'd assume Vit D could too then. In either case, that's how I feel. 

Work started at EA where I am working as a contract web producer for the Sims Online team. It is not gameplay production, which is where I want to be (I think...) but I am still having a lot of fun. And learning a lot. Being on the Sims team, one of the largest games in the world, definitely teaches you a lot about production and management and how things get done on a global scale.

Haven't been going anywhere new lately, but I've been cooking a lot more often. Maybe I should start sharing those photos?    

Sonoma

My friend Lauren came up to SF (oh yeah! I'm back in SF! :-D ) to spent Memorial Weekend with her aunt and uncle, who live in the the city. They were going to spend the weekend at their vineyard in Sonoma and guess who Lauren decided to invite? ^_^

I spent the weekend at a beautiful vineyard in what I will call an estate. There were 2 gates getting to their home and a long driveway up to a beautiful house that overlooked their vineyard and had a spectacular view of wine country. There was also a deck & porch with lovely decor, a vegetable & flower garden, a heated in-ground swimming pool, a lower viewing/picnic point, and two separate cottages for their 2 sons who come up on occasions.

We spent the weekend cooking and eating and went out for wine, olive oil, and balsamic tasting. Most of what we did was in the house though, which was fine with me. It was really nice.

During my stay there I kept thinking, "Wouldn't this be an awesome place to retire to?" Not that I am thinking of retiring any time soon (hello college debt), but I think a quiet country-side, when life is good and the night sky is so clear you can see the stars, seems like a perfect place to simply enjoy the rest of your life. Good food, good wine, relaxation... it was like a retreat. ^_^

Unfortunately, my allergies didn't want to agree with me. :P

Still, when your bedroom has a view like that, I think it's something to be grateful to have.



It's good to be back in SF. :-)