40 days of cleansing - DAY 1

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While everybody starts cleansing for Lent, this year I decided to cleanse post Easter. Been feeling a little sluggish and my clothes are starting to feel tight, so it is time to take action. Being the mother of a very active 14 months old boy is pretty consuming and I have let myself  go for the last few months. For the last year I have breast feeding my little baby, and taking advantage of that extra 500 calories intake a day. Now with only one session of breast feeding a day, I can no longer allow myself this extravagance.

I have decided to use this blog to keep myself motivated, stay on target, complain, pat myself on the back and to keep a record of what I eat. This is not going to be an easy task, as I tend to have a sweet tooth and love to bake.

I am trying to enroll hubby to the challenge but I still have to do some convincing. He will definitely benefit from it as I am cooking most evenings.

I did not sleep so well last night, probably due to a chocolate and sugar rush (needed to finish all those Easter chocolate so as to avoid any future temptation).

DAY 1 - Monday 21st of April

The sun is shining in San Francisco, even though it is a little chilly this morning. 

07:45am: we recently bought this cool juicer so I keep it on the island so that I make sure I use it . 

Homemade juice : carrot, kale, apple Granny Smith and fresh ginger

08:00 am : drop off little boy at the our nanny share

08:20am: arrival at work, drop my bag, time for coffee

08:30am: non fat latte from our very own and special barista Jasmine at the office, yes we have our own barista at the office and it is FREE. this is one of the coolest perk we have at work.

09:30am :   2 boiled eggs

10:15am: another latte , I usually have only one cup of coffee, but it is Monday and I need the extra boost!

01:30pm: I am hungry! time for LUNCH 

Half kale and mixed greens, lemon chicken, beets, cucumbers and edamame and lime vinaigrette all from Foccacia ( a nice sandwich/salad place close to work)

and one plain yogurt
07:45pm: time for DINNER - it is crockpot time . I made a Chicken stew based on this recipe and it was Delicious. The slow cooker is a busy mum best friend. 

So here we are - day 1 is almost over

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The art of making green tea

I am a big fan of green tea. Every morning I take the necessary few steps to brew the perfect cup of green tea. It is an ART. So many places offer great green tea selection yet they do not take the necessary care to brew the tea to perfection. If you think Green tea is astringent or bitter, it is probably because it was not well prepared.

Lock Cha tea Shop

I was fortunate last year to go to Hong Kong for a friend's wedding. I love tea and was in search of a good tea shop. I came across the beautiful Lock Cha Tea Shop in Sheung Wan. "Lock" means Happiness, enjoyment and fortune. The shop was small yet very cute with a few tables to taste tea. As we entered we were offered to sit down around a table to sample some teas. The Tea Master, as I call her, asked us what kind of tea we like and proceeded to the tea making initiation. We were able to sample 6 different teas, from green to greenish via white to black teas. For each type of tea, the tea master explained to us in details the delicate steps to make that perfect cup of tea. Here are the various notes I took from that day.


Various types of teas

Green Tea, best known for its health properties as it contains a high amount of antioxidants. Fresh tea leaves are picked and quickly heated up by pan firing or steaming to prevent further fermentation. The flavors are refreshing, from grassy and vegetal to nutty and floral. This tea is best brewed with a glass. As Green tea is delicate, it is best made with low temperature water.

White Tea, one of my favorite tea. It is minimally processed and generally only picked and air-dried, therefore it is slightly fermented. The flavors can be described as savory, mellow and sweet. White tea is very popular in Southern China and Hong Kong.

Yellow Tea is a kind of green tea with a special prolonged process of drying. The taste is deeper, the color more yellowish and it has a pronounced fragrance. Even though this tea used to be common amongst people, it is rare today.

Greenish Tea or Oolong Tea is rolled and oxidized after picking, allowing the essential ingredients to react with air. This process turns the leaf to a darker green and produce distinctive fragrances before heat is applied to set the taste. The Oolong flavors range from highly floral, very fruity to mildly roasted with honey flavors. Patience and Care are essential to make this tea. Apparently Tea connoisseurs take it to the level of an art and call it Kung-Fu tea.

Red Tea or Black Tea, as it is known in Europe and the US, is a result of complete oxidation of the leaf. First produced in China, this tea achieved worldwide acceptance after the British cultivated the plant in places like India, Sri Lanka and Africa. Theses teas are known for their robust and full-bodied flavors.

Chinese Black Tea (also known as Pu-er) is aged and twice fermented and you will find it often compressed into cakes or bricks. Its name comes from the town of Pu-er in south-western China. Pu-er has a strong green and earthy taste that gains complexity over time. Some rare premium pu-er teas are more than 50 years old and become treasures of collectors.

10 Must-dos to do to brew the best tea

Porcelain Tea Set

1. Buy good quality tea from specialty tea providers
2. Store your tea properly in airtight container and in a cool place
3. Make sure you use your tea quite quickly, especially green teas. as most teas lose their flavors over time
4. Use good water such a spring or filtered water. Impurities, like chlorine or rust will affect the taste of your tea so filter your tap water
5. Do not overboil or re-boil water as this depletes the oxygen in the water and makes the tea flat
6. Use good matched tea-wares. Try to avoid plastic and metal tea-wares. Glass, stone-wares and porcelain are good and dissipate heat in different rates. For example, use glass for low temperature brewing tea (green tea) and stoneware for high temperature brewing tea. Chung (covered bowl) is a very convenient option for most teas. I got myself a nice red tea set in HKG
7. Make sure you warm up your tea-ware, just rinse them with hot water.
8.  Put the right amount of tea leaves. Lock Cha recommends 5 grams of tea to 100 cc. of water and 8 grams for stronger tea. Just try and adjust to your taste
9. Use the right temperature which is one of the most important thing you need to think about. Know your tea and determine what temperature is best. The rule is lower temperature for greener, smaller leaf; higher temperature  for browner and tightly rolled tea (see below). Invest in a small thermostat to help you out
10. Right timing, brewing the tea too long will make tea astringent and bitter. Adjust timing or use less tea will avoid these problems. For example Oolong tea is more critical and brew fast while other teas are more flexible

       
            Tea Type                 Temp (Celsius)       Temp (fahrenheit)            Brewing time

              Green                         40-75                         104-167                       2 min +
              White                         80-85                         176-185                       1 min +    
              Yellow                      75-85                         185-203                        30 sec
              Greenish                    80-95                        176-203                        15 sec - 1 min
              Red                            95-100                      203-212                        1-3 min
              Black                          100                           212                               1-3 min

How to brew tea?

1. Heat pure, preferably soft, water
2. Warm the tea-ware
3. Add the right amount of tea
4. Rinse the tea when necessary and strain quickly
5. Check the temperature, add water and steep for a while
6. Strain
7. Enjoy
8. Re-steep for more pleasure

Now go and enjoy your tea. Tea has been associated with its medical and health benefits. Please enjoy those guidelines to brew your next cup of tea. Thanks to Lock Cha Tea Shop for their initiation in to making the perfect cup of tea. 

The Creators Project in San Francisco

This weekend, San Francisco was hosting the Creators Project at Fort Mason. The Creators Project is a global network dedicated to the celebration of creativity, culture and technology. This initiative was created by Intel and Vice in order to support visionary artists, musicians and filmmakers who are using technology to push the bounds of creative expression.

I was not sure what to expect from this exhibition but the Creators Project definitely delivered. Just imagine an event that blends technology and art where emerging technologies are redefining the boundaries of interactive art and transforming the relationship between the viewer and the installation.
All of this for FREE. The only catch was to apply for tickets online for Saturday.
However if you were not lucky enough to get tickets for Saturday, all art installations, panels and films were free and open to the public on Sunday - no RSVP required.

Origin

The first Installation we came across was the LED cube Origin from United Visual Artists & Composer Scanner. A Tall square metallic structure covered with LED lights and once inside the structure  We did not get to check it by night, but here is a video of what it looks like then . A tall square metallic structure with LED lights and amazing sounds.

The Treachery of Sanctuary

What I loved about the Creators Project was the fact that you could interact with the installations. Like Chris Milk's installation called the Treachery of Sanctuary. His work took the Project's visitors through three different experiences of flight thanks to a series of 16 by 22 foot tall projections. Visitors could take center stage and transform their shadows with a succession of gestures using motion-sensing kinects. The first panel saw the shadow decompose into a flock of birds, the second panel had birds swooping down to tear the shadow apart in a scene straight out of Hitchcock's Birds, and the last panel transformed the visitors into bird-like creatures with impressive looking wings.

Another great interactive project was Minha Yang's Meditation. Yang describes the installation as "a kind of religious tool, creating a serene oasis of sound and responsive visuals that react to viewers' body movements". On top of that, it is also just fun to play with, as was evidenced by the constant crowds moving in front of the three "eyes".

Meditation - view from the side

The Creators project just released a behind the scene in SF. Here is the link : Behind the scenes




For more information on the Creators Project, go and check their website at http://thecreatorsproject.com/ and for the  San Francisco Project 

Baja Peninsula - Mexico

My hubby and I did not spend the christmas holidays together this year. I was in France whilst he stayed in the US to spend some time with his family. So we decided to book ourselves a nice trip in February as our christmas gift.
I found this great deal on ZOZI for an amazing 5 nights stay in the Hacienda Cerritos, in Baja Peninsula, Mexico. For those of you who don't know Baja Peninsula, it is in the northwestern part of Mexico, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula starts from Mexicali all the way down to Cabo San Lucas (775 mi or 1.247 kms).

Marbella Suites en La Playa

So my trip organization started there. We decided to go to Mexico for 10 days and I looked for another place to stay for our first 5 days in Mexico. As hubby and I never been to los Cabos (meaning the Capes), we decided it would be a good place to start our trip.

Beach on el Corridor

 I managed to find a small hotel Marbella Suites en La Playa (only 40 rooms) on the Corridor (a stretch of road which connects San Jose Del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas)
The place was quiet and the beach beautiful for nice walks. Unfortunately most beaches in Los Cabos are not swimmable due to strong currents. So if swimming in the ocean is important to you, you may want to stay in Cabo San Lucas, as you can swim in Medano Beach. But be prepared for loud beach bars and restaurants, relentless vendors cruising the beach up and down trying to sell you things you do not want and the cruise ships clientele on a day stop over.

In San Jose del Cabo

During our first 5 days, we cruise between San Jose Del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. San Jose del Cabo is the quieter and more traditional town with its 18th century colonial architecture, artsy vibe & quality restaurants. There are a lot of small galleries where you can buy quality Mexican folk art. Every Thursday nights between November through April are designated Art nights, when galleries stay open until 9pm serving drinks and snacks with various performances and dancing.

View of El Arco from Mona Lisa restaurant

Cabo San Lucas is the party town. Sportfishing fleet is anchored here and cruise ships anchored off the marina. Trendy restaurants and bars line the streets. This is where you will find the towering Land's end Rocks and the famed arched landmark El Arco.

Los Cabos offer many amazing restaurants (mainly expensive) but there is always a little taqueria nearby.

Agua Restaurant

We had an amazing experience at a restaurant called Agua, which is part of the One & Only Palmilla resort. We were actually looking for another restaurant but we came across this one whilst walking on the beach. The views, food, service was fantastic. I would love to be able to stay there one day.
For best sunset views, go & have a drink at the Mona Lisa Sunset bar. The Office restaurant on Playa Medano was fun and busy. You eat with your toes in the sand. Be sure to choose a table towards the back if you do not want to be hassle by vendors. They had an amazing selection of Tequila and great fish tacos. Talking about tequila, you will want to sample a nice margarita when you head to Baja. However in most places I found that the margaritas were huge, overly sweet, with more sugar than fruits and a distant flavor of tequila. The best margarita we sampled was in San Jose del Cabo at the bar of the Casa Natalia. Make sure to check it, the restaurant menu also looked good but we did not get a chance to eat there.

The Hacienda Cerritos

View from the inside

After our first few days in Los Cabos, we travelled to the Cerritos area along the Pacific coast, about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas supposedly.
Oh well they are working on this as we speak.


They are currently resurfacing and redoing the motorway between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos. At this point, you will need an extra hour to reach Todos Santos. I was very excited as we were staying at Hacienda Cerritos, a luxury boutique hotel on Cerritos Beach. the Hacienda did not disappoint. The Hacienda, we found out, is owned by a builder from Oregon who built the house for himself but transformed it as a hotel as he was not spending enough time down Cerritos.

Our north terrace room

Cerritos Beach

The hotel is 11 rooms only, there are no restaurants there but a massive kitchen where you can cook.
The Hacienda is on Cerritos Beach, which is the only swimmable beach for miles on that coast line. It is also famous for surfing.


The whole place is decorated like a beautiful house, the rooms are massive with views of the ocean. There is a beautiful pool and hot tubs from where you can watch the sunset and whales playing in the ocean. Even tough the hacienda has no restaurant, there is a beautiful little asian fusion restaurant only 5 mns drive away called Carlitos, in nearby village el Pescadero. Todos Santos, a small town about 15 minutes away, is a must see. There are a few cute coffee places and lovely restaurants we tried for lunch Cafe Santa Fe and Caffe Todos Santos. For an amazing local food dinner check "Los Adobes" and don't forget to order the cilantro studded local cheese. It just melts in your mouth. For a lovely sunset, head to La Posada La Poza and head to the bar upstairs for some lovely lagoon views. Beware of the mosquitoes!

For more beautiful pictures of our Baja trip and the Hacienda, check this link 

Wedding theme : TRAVEL

After much deliberation about what theme to choose for the wedding in France, I finally decided on TRAVEL. I wonder why it took me so long to come up with that. I love travelling and travel has been a big part of my life for the last few years.
Now that I have the theme I need to drill down on what it actually will mean on the day. I don't want to spend a lot of money on decoration, I would rather spend the money on food & wine.
Luckily for me, my cousin Sonia is amazing with DIY and decoration and I acquired her help for my Wedding project.
TRAVEL...now what : I decided to pick all the destinations that hubby and I have visited together over the last few years and use one for each table. So far, I have Hawaii, Washington, San Francisco, London, Madrid, Mexico, Cartagena de las Indias (Colombia), Paris, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Saint Malo (in my beloved Brittany), Sonoma Valley, Carmel, Monterrey, Venice (booked for just after the wedding).
I have chosen two main colors : Blue and Sandy brown. Originally picked chocolate brown but want some light colors. I am currently scoring the internet for ideas for each table. I found a few inspired ideas. Here is a sample of those.

Favor box

Chalkboard for table Name

Urn

Loving the map hearts - maybe for coasters

My deco above the dance-floor

My table menu model

New York New York I have missed you

When my friend Katja called me to tell me she will be visiting New York in November and would love to meet me there. I was like : "what a wonderful idea". I had not since Katja since January. We are good friends that met in London a few years back. Now I live in SF and she is in London. So NYC is an ideal meeting place, about half way between SF & London. I had not been to NYC since 2005, so I was keen to go back to see the Big Apple and catch up with my dear friend Kat.

Our common friend Phung was working for a few months in NYC so he offered to host us for a week in the heart of Manhattan. His flat had great views of the Chrysler Building.  My friend Kat had never been to NYC before so it was fun to play tourist with her.

Even though I had been to NYC a couple of times, there are a few things things I had never done before and I will be concentrating on those.

The first thing was to go to the "Top of the Rock" for amazing views of NYC and Central Park. The top of the Rock is atop the Rockefeller Center. We were lucky that the weather was beautiful sunny and warm on that day.


The second thing was Brooklyn.  I absolutely loved the beautiful Prospect Park, 225 hectares of woodland, meadows and ponds which make for a beautiful autumn walk. The park was peaceful and unmanicured .After strolling in the park, we stopped by the Prospect Park Cafe talked with total strangers while sipping a hot latte. Along the flatbush avenue we stopped at a small vintage shop where I bought a beautiful 60s red patent leather bag.

The third thing was crossing the Brooklyn bridge, from Brooklyn back to Manhattan. The 1883 neo gothic suspension bridge is just a wonder. Even though, the bridge was undergoing some reparation we had some wonderful views of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty. A stroll across the bridge will usually take you between 20 and 40 minutes depending on how many stops you take for photos and taking it all in. We crossed at sunset and the colors were just amazing. Beware though: as tourists you have to make sure to stay in the pedestrians line (the right one) as many people commute to and from Brooklyn by bike and are not very patient with tourists taking pictures.

Another first for me was FAO Schwartz, home to the the Piano, in BIG, made famous by Tom Hanks. The legendary toy store on 5th avenue offers countless sweets, chocolate bars of all sizes, stuffed animals. The Dance-on-Piano, a giant musical keyboard mat,  is on the second floor. Don't miss it!

Wedding Planning - France

Even though we are already officially married since July 1st 2011. It all happened at San Francisco beautiful City Hall. My hubby and I have decided to get married in front of our families. After much debate on where to get married. we wanted to go for a destination wedding, we look at various exotic islands in the Caribbean, half way between our families (based in California & France). After assessing costs, we realized that although we dreamt of a destination wedding, this would mean that many people would not be able to afford to come and celebrate with us.
What was more important for us was the fact that we wanted to celebrate with our friends and family which meant we would have to organize two weddings (on top of our City hall wedding). why have one wedding when you can have three????

Beautiful apple trees

Anyway it was all decided : Wedding number 2 will be in France, in the village where i grew up and where my parents were married. Wedding number 3 will be somewhere in California.
The first thing I did was to look at long weekends (we call them Bank holidays back in Europe), so friends and family could make a long weekend out of it. After talking to the priest in La Guerche De Bretagne, the date was picked : May 5th, 2012.
Now to find the venue, I found this lovely venue only 30 mns away from my parents: le Manoir du petit corce.  It has a massive apple trees field which should be in flowers at the time of the wedding. How exciting!