Photo Booth

Our computer has this application called Photo Booth, which "simulates" taking photos in yes, a photo booth. While I know most of the effects can be done 100 times better in Photoshop, there's this instant gratification factor for kids and the likeminded. And my son absolutely loves it. If I don't tear him away from the screen, he'll take photos of himself all day long. Here's a sampling.



You can read more about Photo Booth here and here. Happy snapping!

The House of Sick

The bug is definitely going around. As early as last week, both Axel and I muddled through with a slight cough and sniffles but today, the hubby came down with full-on symptoms. In the family, he was the only one who didn't have a flu shot and I'm beginning think that's why he was the hardest hit by whatever's going around. Hope everyone else is feeling better! Keep well everyone!

Axel meets Santa

Twas Axel's first meeting with Santa. Our mischievous little one reached out his hand in a friendly handshake and said solemnly to Santa, "Peace be with you." LOL.

Rancid @ The Warfield

The Warfield on Market Street is a beautiful old theatre, now a bit rundown and worn from hosting decades-worth of rock acts. It was charming, had a lot of character and was an excellent backdrop to Rancid, revealing a unique juxtaposition of classical beauty and the organized chaos of a punk band.

Rancid has been on my ipod for about a year now - introduced to me by my punk of a husband. But I didn't really know much about them, other than they were lumped together in my ipod playlist with The Descendents, the UK Subs and Circle Jerks. So I came to the concert with an open mind and open ears. Sometimes it's better that way. With no pre-conceptions, my mind was an open slate.

The crowd had a smattering of 30-ish couples (like ourselves), a majority of neo-punk kids (I classify anyone below 25 as "young") and a few dads with their tween kids in tow. But we were all in the Rancid zone as they spewed out chest-throbbing riffs, pounding drumbeats and lyrics so loud, it drowned out my screaming inner demons. Their stage-side manner was awesome. The show came complete with skateboarder like jumps, spitting and flying fists. Their energy was infectious. From our view, we could see the kids down below moshing, as poker-faced bouncers guarded the frontrows. The hubby forgot about his cold and sore throat and belted every single lyric he knew, including "Journey to the End of East Bay".

A highlight of the concert was when the vocalist of their old band (I'll get my hubby to verify the name) for a once-in-a-lifetime jam. And revealing my age once again, I truly enjoyed the acoustic encore set. Playlist to follow! I'll try to get my hubby to add on to this one, it's more his thing but I'll be sure to listening to Rancid on my ipod more often from here on.

It was a good time.

The Nutcracker, Sweet!

My MIL gifted us with tickets to watch the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker. We had pretty decent tickets in the Dress Circle, which meant we were high enough to see enough of the pretty snowflake patterns the dancers were making, but far enough not to be a nuisance if my toddler son started acting up. Plus with the higher view, we could see the entire depth of the stage.

The matinee we saw was called a Family Performance, which I interpreted as the family-friendly option. When we got to the War Memorial Opera House, the lines were bursting with cute little girls wearing red velvet dresses and frilly collars. My husband swore he saw a boy dressed as Little Lord Fauntleroy! Good thing my son was oblivious to the frilly fashion in his olive corderoys and ratty Steve shirt. As the line started to move forward, fake snow fell from the sky as a special effect. Then children were given free stuffed toys. Everyone was waiting for the characters to arrive in the lobby for a special meet-and-greet and obligatory autograph signing. During the intermission, they gave out free organic milk and chocolate chip cookies. It was great!

About the ballet - the show was an amazing display of grace, athleticism and aesthetics, real eye candy. Everybody watched in wide-eyed awe as the dancers transported us to this magical world of the Sugar Plum Fairy, toys coming to life, and a court of flowers. My son's favorite parts included the battle between the King Rat (or mouse?) and the Nutcracker/Prince. He also loved the boom of the cannons. I was proud of my son, he was very behaved and sat through the entire performance. He actually squealed with delight. Not all the children enjoyed it though. During some lulls, you could hear a baby whine. One child behind us actually bellowed out an indigant "AGAIN?" when the Prince came out on stage for his second round of solo pirouettes.

I loved the scenery and the costumes. Now, I'm mainly a cynic at heart and watching the Nutracker at Christmas time is such a cliche, but I can understand the lure of it. Waiting in line at the bathroom, a grey-haired lady with a kindly face struck up a conversation with me - saying that watching the ballet is a family tradition every Christmas.

Memories of my early ballet classes in Kapitolyo came back and for exactly 4 seconds, I regretted not sticking to my classes (which I exchanged for piano later on). I have a newfound appreciation for these dancers who make everything look so effortless. Every single precision leap through the air, graceful bend and tip-toed prance were woven together seamlessly. And the music! Nothing like a live orchestra to make music pound in your chest and reverberate for hours after. For a few hours, I was able take a mental break from the holiday rush of things and escape to an imaginary and magical world where we can all be kids again.

The official website of the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker.

naw-sfo Party

A nice cozy get-together of the SF Bay area n@wies. Merry Christmas!

Splendor in the Snow

Finally, our first taste of snow!

We had visited Yosemite National Park during the spring but we were really curious to see the pristine beauty of the park during the winter. Axel's first reaction to the snow was priceless. He kept referring back to his books, naming characters Snowy the Polar Bear and Mumble the Penguin. He recognized the snow from those books and he just started laughing and jumping in the powdery stuff. At first, he refused to wear gloves and ended up with ice cold digits. We built several snowmen, the hubby made some snow angels and we practiced our pitching skills by throwing snowballs at tree trunks. It was awesome, truly.

The rest of the time we spent in Yosemite Valley, hiking the nearby trails. We didn't reach Half Dome but just walking around gave us the heebie-jeebies. The entire place made us feel so tiny and insignificant in the world. Grabe, sobrang ganda.

Another thing about Yosemite is how it affected our sleep and eating habits. Yes, I know we were only there for three days but the mountain air seemed to intoxicate us naturally. I slept soo good. Apart from the fact that we shared a room with Oma and Axel, it was so nice to be in bed and snuggling by 8PM. The food also tasted better and went down easier. We stuck mostly to the Food Court fare at Yosemite Lodge but on the last night, we splurged at Mountain Room Restaurant (no, not the Ahwahnee - maybe in another lifetime). Everything we ordered was excellent.

I want to go back again, maybe in mid-January so we can go snowshoeing in Badger Pass. I feel so Christmassy now. =)