goodness from home…

from Cali…

My bro has been keeping up with the latest on Cal Bear Football, for me…and golly – it’s nice to have a winning record.
Go Bears!. I was totally thrilled by one of his e-mails with the subject heading: RE: CAL ranked #4 in the nation -Sweet! Now, I don’t follow much sports, but I have a soft spot for Cal.

Our professor is visiting London now – he just dropped by my residency this morning. He brought back good news about the Wildcats. They’re doing well – not as well as Cal – but at least they’ve had some good games.

Cal is also a smart school. It ranked number 2 among The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) list of top global schools.

I didn’t think this would happen in London – but damn I’m homesick…especially for food….

I miss home. I miss home cooking. I miss Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches at IB Hoagies. I miss days when I can wear a skirt and a tank top. I miss the sense of belonging. I miss lumpia. I miss mushroom sauce and steak over rice. I miss real Mexican food. I miss lemon chickens from Top Dog. I miss burritos from La Burrita. I miss honey wine from Blue Nile. I miss my non-fat mocha biancas from Cafe Strada (It got to the point when the barristas would recognize me and I wouldn’t have to say a order – I was a regular). I miss downing pints at Becketts. I miss California sushi (I was not impressed with the sushi in Chicago – kinda dry). I miss pansit. I miss bbbq links and beef sandwiches from Everett and Jones. I miss ordering froofy drinks from Spats. I miss playing Trivia Pursuit inside the Albatross (however, we played a British version of Trivia Pursuit in a Greenwich pub – the sports section was all about football – European football – we didn’t do very good on that one.)

I miss American keyboards. I miss my iMac. I miss waking up to Morning Edition on NPR. I miss dim sum in San Francisco. I miss Chicago pizza from Zachary’s. I miss eating San Francisco clam chowder on the wharf. I miss getting stuffed on Ghirardelli ice cream with carmel syrup. I miss the garlic ice cream from the Stinking Rose. (no matter what you think, carmel and garlic ice cream works). I miss savoring Chicken Tikka Masala from Naan and Curry. I miss candle light dinners at Cote Sud. I miss nursing hang overs at some coffee shop in the Castro. I miss watching cute dogs walking on the Berkeley campus. I miss my moments of Zen as I stare at the Golden Gate Bridge from the foot of the Campanile and letting the world pass me by. I miss watching sunsets from the Berkeley hills. I miss falling asleep in the middle of a conversation as Mark drove us home. I miss knowing where I was going. I miss grooving and checking my e-mail from the linux boxes at the DNA Lounge. I miss getting free concert tickets from KALX. I miss my dj shifts at 6:00 on a Saturday morning and getting some caller from Australia who couldn’t believe I have an American accent. I miss skating at Glacial Gardens. I miss catching a film with my bro and cousin at the Irvine Spectrum. I miss heading down to Old Town Pasadena for Cheesecake Factory grub…..and the amazng well-mannered dirty martini. I miss those olives stuffed with cream cheese. I miss taking a train down to San Diego and watching the Pacfic Ocean pass by. I miss waking up late on Sunday mornings and reading a book at the Grove in the Marina. I miss having tea and coffee with Betina. I miss drinking late and nursing hangovers with Susan and Tom. I miss my maddening debates with Wes on politics, religion and God knows what else. I miss hearing my bro talk about the military and the random things they do. I miss talking about the past with the one woman who knows me best, my cousin. I miss visiting Ate Gigi in Vegas. I miss bowling with my family on Thanksgiving. I miss enjoying the view at the Bonaventure Hotel (thanks Mark – I can’t spell :P) with my dad. I miss my mom’s quiet strength and gossiping about skaters from the past. I miss going to mass at St. Denis. I miss singing with my choir at Newman. I miss being a Eucharistic Minister in Berkeley. I miss chatting with my co-workers and getting donuts for our staff meetings. I miss having wi-fi at home. I miss editing the con video on the multimedia machines, with Adobe Premiere. I miss editing my newsmagazine on my iMac and running the show the next day. I miss cooking for my friends. I miss visiting the vineyards in Napa, sampling wine and indulging in food. I miss driving down to Monterey and walking through Cannery Row. I miss the shrimp and rice dishes from Bubba Gumps. I miss watching fireworks from the wharf. I miss family meals at my Ninang’s and watching random TV. I miss hearing my brother and cousin play old recital tunes on the piano after our parents forced them too….I miss playing karaoke revolution at Betina’s place. I miss watching films at Scott’s place in La Jolla. I miss walking up the damn steep hill with Jennie and staring back at beautiful San Diego and the Pacific – one morning, when it felt like we had the world to ourselves. I miss the sound of the plane landing at Ontario International. I miss my standoffs with Katie and how they end with her sleeping on my feet. I miss oysters at that one brewery in Brea (it’s Taps – thanks Mark). I miss lobster tacos at that one surfer shack in Newport Beach. I miss watching films on the IMAX screen in the Meteron. I miss having a pitcher of beer and pizza as we watch a second-run film at the Parkway and saying what’s up to my old lab supervisor. I miss hanging out in the Werepad and watching a trashy b-film. I miss Spike and Mikes. I miss the Asian American Film Festival. I miss getting American holidays off, like Thanksgiving. I miss that sense of knowing what I’m doing. I miss people taking it for granted that I’m good with computers and editing. I miss feeling competent. I miss feeling somewhat talented in news writing and producing. I miss people asking for help with their computers needs. (ok – that sick – especially towards the end of my tech job – it drove me insane when somebody asked a stupid computer question and I had to help them, because that’s what I was paid to do.). I miss the warmth of California and my family and friends.

and heck….I also miss my Chicago pals and professors. I miss stressing over deadlines and the thrill of seeing my byline in print…..more so because I did all that with a very cool crew of reporters. Gosh…I hope everybody got my postcards.

I miss America – I know we have a questionable political leadership…..but I wish I could go home for Thanksgiving.

what else….there’s probably more…but i’m getting hungry. I should make dinner.