A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

Happy New Year!

Now if you don’t know me personally and don’t like reading about other people’s lives, move along. Scroll down for movie reviews instead.

Planes

These past few months have significant for me and the missus. (Btw, her blog Sunshine Girl will be back as soon as she decides on what to call her new space. She’s also thinking of redesigning it - or having me redesign it using her ideas. Anyway, she said she’ll be back soon.)

Having moved to the Left Coast is a significant improvement from our previous location. Not only do we have more choices - the joy of small businesses!, we’re also in a more diverse community. It’s not like we met some overt form of discrimination back in Florida, it’s just that it’s nice moving about in a place where people won’t wonder where you’re from. Being around different cultures also mean there’s far more choices of food. It never gets boring around here when it comes to culinary choices. Peruvian anyone?

Being at this side of the continent also means it’s closer to fly back home. And cheaper too - it cuts down the ticket price back to Manila in half.

Trains

Ah the joys of Caltrain! You can set your watch by their schedule. At least from what we’ve experienced so far. While driving has its advantages, being on a comfortable train makes the 19 mile commute to and from work way less stressful. The public transportation - efficient public transportation that is - is something we truly miss. Relatively clean and reasonably priced buses and trains arriving on time is an added plus living here.

Being near the tech train that is Google (how’s that for a heavy handed metaphor?) certainly has its advantages. They plan to blanket the city with free wi-fi access. Not that it’s hard to have Net access here, at the heart of Silicon Valley, it’s just exciting to see where the Googlers would go with it. I know it’s just a first step to…something.

Speaking of being in Silicon Valley, it’s like making a pilgrimage for me. It is after all where the first personal computer was developed, not to mention a bunch of other technological wonders. It is awe-inspiring and at the same time very intimidating. With the area’s mystique and place in geek lore, there are lots of talented people and it is very competitive. I have to admit we’re very lucky to be given a break here. 2006 should be very, very exciting.

Oh did I mention it’s also just a stone’s throw away from Stanford University? Notable alums include Internet Pioneer Vincent Cerf, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, of course those crazy Google guys Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Charles Schwab, Bill Hewlett and David Packard…..a bunch of astronauts… Maybe there’s something in the water and I should start drinking it?
Automobiles

Driving around in this part of California is a fun exercise. There are lots of places to see, a lot of things to do, plenty of people to meet. We’ve recently been to the public library and it blew us away. It is a 100 years old but thoroughly modern. They have a ton of reference materials and periodicals. Their media library is huge. We brought home some movies we’ve been dying to see (I’m introducing Petite to Tod Browning’s Freaks…maybe on a clear Sunday morning.) They have some activities which require volunteers and that got us excited. Anything to be around books I guess.

Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and of the course the Bay are all within driving distance we’d like to experience snow, ice and gambling. San Francisco is a drive/train ride away. Coldplay is playing nearby later this month. With Fiona Apple no less.

All in all a better place from last year. But definitely, the one thing we’ve been wanting to do is to get on that plane and fly further left. Fly home. There’s nothing like sharing a meal with the family, nothing like sharing a story with friends, nothing like hearing the music of your home.