Easy Open Cap, Complete Nonsense

See the words on the lid of this bottle of macapuno (coconut fruit preserves)?

Self has been trying to get at the contents for two days. Granted, anyone who spends two days trying to open a bottle must be bonkers. But self really, really loves macapuno. And she hasn’t had any in about 10 years.

In Redwood City, she used to have this nifty thingamajig by Zyliss that wrenches open bottle caps in 10 seconds. But here, she hasn’t seen any store that sells the thing. So, she has to resort to:

• running bottle neck under warm water
• pounding on top lid with knife, block of wood, and hammer
• inserting knife tip under the lid to break seal
• wrapping lid with rubber bands and twisting and twisting and twisting

The Filipino manufacturer should be proud! They have perfected the super-tight seal! Bottle lid’s tighter than a seal on an oil rig! Paging BP Oil! No, even better, paging NASA!

In the meantime, those words EASY OPEN CAP on the lid are simply taunting her. Has the manufacturer never heard of “truth in advertising”? This dilemma has also given rise to snarky thoughts such as: You want the macapuno? You can’t handle the macapuno!

This problem would not occur in the Philippines where self recalls never having to touch food of any kind — because of help! LOL — unless it is delivered on a tray.

Jar of Macapuno, Absolutely Impenetrable. “Easy Open Cap.” Bought two days ago. Enough is enough. Tossing today. Good-bye, $3.99

When all hope is lost, self shares her dilemma on Facebook. Which then leads to a Filipina sending her a link to this instructional video, which contains the words: “Even a two-year-old should have no problem opening a bottle lid using this method.”

LOL LOL LOL

Stay tuned.

More Curves!

Bed & Breakfast, Inchicore, Dublin, May 2016

The Last Bookstore, S. Spring St., Downtown Los Angeles, March 2016

Hand Made Ice Cream in Downtown Fort Bragg, California, March 2016

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Admiration 3: Fort Bragg, CA

Self discovered Fort Bragg, California this year.

She stayed for a few weeks, and discovered:

1. An excellent bakery, in the Depot Building. Just look at that sweet, blue nest confection!
2. An excellent used bookstore called, in typical Fort Bragg self-deprecating manner, The Bookstore. The second floor had a wonderful seating area. And the day self visited, there was a hardbound copy of Cyrano de Bergerac, which she has fond memories of her Dear Departed Dad reciting to her at mealtimes (He was a frustrated actor. Played Hamlet in high school at the Ateneo)
3. Writers, writers, writers abound in Fort Bragg. Self began reading Norma Watkins, whose beautiful memoir, The Last Resort: Taking the Mississippi Cure, was just published by University of Mississippi Press.

More Trios in Florence

Lovely, lovely Florence.

Self encountered the city for the first time, early this month.

Today, self is browsing through her photo archives to find pictures that fit this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge: TRIO.

The first picture is the display window of a bakery that faces out onto Piazza della Repubblica. Look at the piles of pastry on the three plates! In Florence, self was able to indulge her sweet tooth to the max!

Florentine Bakery Near the Piazza della Repubblica

According to the tourist brochures, Florence has 62 museums. Niece got the idea of purchasing a 3-day Firenze card, which lets you into any of the museums, free of charge, for 72 hours (Be advised: They calculate down to the very last minute: say, you purchase the card at 10:56 a.m., it will expire at exactly 10:56 a.m., three days later.)

Three columns in some museum or other (Self will add the name as soon as she has a little more time to browse through her notes from the trip)

Approaching the Uffizi Gallery on the Piazza della Signoria: The front loggia boasts three arches!

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Treat 3: Still Florence

Florence is a beautiful city. It is beautiful, and yet worldly, and the people are so warm.

Today, Irene directed our steps to two museums. The first one was a kind of natural history museum, with dinosaur bones and the like. But since self has already seen the Mother of All Dinosaur Exhibits, in the Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, she was not much interested in the ones on display in Florence. We moved on quickly to the second museum, which happened to have an amazing exhibit: Works of the Twelfth China National Exhibition of Fine Arts, Italy.

These featured large-scale oil paintings by Chinese painters, the likes of which self had never seen. Thank goodness there was no Ai Wei-Wei. Because he is trotted out at every major exhibit of Chinese painters, and his work doesn’t speak to self at all. After two decades of hearing nothing but praise about him, she is frankly bored by his ubiquitous presence.

Irene and self decided to stop for pastries and coffee at a café called Gilli (founded 1733), which has outdoor seating facing a lively piazza:

Café Gilli, a Florentine landmark

The Piazza next to Café Gilli, Florence: Self loves the carousel (which strangely had no riders)

Self had to try the meringues. This one was light and airy and absolutely delicious:

Never had self tasted an airier meringue!

It was wonderful to stroll along the streets by the café, as evening fell.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Treat: WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Halloween-themed!

Here are self’s ideas of TREATS:

Hot Chocolate and Peanut Butter & Jelly Square, Jacques Torres Chocolates, Broadway & 72nd

Being surrounded by books: such a treat! Extraordinary. The best form of indulgence:

Borderlands, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Bookstore, Valencia Street, San Francisco

Finally, watching plays is such a treat. On the same level of pleasure as reading a good book.

Here’s one of her favorite venues: the Bruns Amphitheatre in Orinda, where Cal Shakes presents Shakespeare through the warm months of summer and early fall. The last play she saw here was “King Lear,” with Anthony Heald. Superb!

Bruns Amphitheatre, Orinda, California

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Careful: WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is CAREFUL:

SHOW US SOMETHING CAREFUL — A PHOTO TAKEN WITH CARE, A PERSON BEING CAREFUL, OR A TASK OR DETAIL REQUIRING CARE.

First: Can you believe the drapery on this statue? Self doesn’t know who the sculptor is. She’ll find out, though. And when she does, she’ll post it here.

Close-Up Detail of a Statue in the Greek and Roman Antiquities Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Here’s something else done with care: a dessert from a small Mom & Pop Filipino restaurant in Queens:

Swimming in a Sea of Condensed Milk: Self’s Kind of Dessert!

Finally: Food is love. You didn’t know that? Clearly, you have not LIVED!

Self will say again: Food is Love.

Here, from self’s favorite food nest in London, Chez Mamie on a little alley she stumbled across while trying to make it to the West End to watch a play:

The food at Chéz Mamie is cooked by a mother-daughter team from Belgium. Going a day without dinner at Chéz Mamie: perish the thought! It was self’s little home away from home.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Extra(ordinary): San Francisco, October 2015

Love the prompt this week: (Extra)ordinary, finding meaning in the ordinary.

Last week, self was in San Francisco. Only two more weeks till Halloween! Hence Halloween decorations in the laundromat she uses and an ice cream store, Xanath, on Valencia Street in the city:

Monday Afternoon at the Laundromat (2nd to Last Monday in October 2015)

Love the black cat above the white washing machines!

Of course, no trip anywhere would be complete without a visit to an ice cream store! Here’s Xanath on Valencia Street:

Xanath, an Organic Fro-Yo and Ice Cream Place on Valencia Street. Sampled their wares during the Oct. 17 Litcrawl.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Warmth 2: WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

Oh the sun was out, and it was glorious.

Self was inspired to capture the moment with her camera.

So here is her second post on this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge:  WARMTH

Wee Bit of Sun on a Cold Winter’s Day!

This next shot has something to do with the nice weather: The Man and self took a walk around downtown Redwood City yesterday afternoon, and wound up at Pamplemousse, where self bought a couple of caramel salt macarons! Heaven!

Self hearts Pamplemousse!

Christmas Day self truly had a burst of energy: she and The Man drove to Benicia to see some old friends, and what a treat to have such warm, glorious weather! Here’s a shot of their lemon tree:

This magnificent lemon tree grows in a friend’s backyard in Benicia.

 

Containers 2: WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

THIS WEEK, LET’S GIVE OUTER SHELLS THEIR DUE.

—  The WordPress Daily Post

This week’s photo challenge is CONTAINERS.

Self posted on this challenge earlier today.

But she wasn’t quite satisfied with the result, so here’s another attempt to interpret the theme.

First, self would just like to deliver a little ode of appreciation to Gelato Classico on Emerson Street in downtown Palo Alto.  It’s right across from Aquarius theatre, so it’s perfect for indulging either before or after a movie.  Last week, self caught Begin Again.  Apart from the fact that it was a really, really good movie, self got to indulge in her two favorite gelato flavors:  lychee and peanut butter cioccolato.  She chose the “regular” container (the one in the middle):

You can order gelato to come in three sizes: small, regular, or large.

And here’s another one of self’s favorite containers:  funky shoes.  This pair was worn by a jazz saxophonist performing at the Fillmore Jazz Festival, just a few weeks ago:

Cool Shoes: 2014 Fillmore Jazz Festival, San Francisco

Self’s final container is a costume.  Self would like to share a word in praise of the Stanford Tree.  Who soldiered on for the entire Redwood City Fourth of July Parade, when it was sweltering.  The poor human underneath that tree outfit must have been melting.  Fittingly, the human turned out to be wearing a “Keep Calm” t-shirt underneath the costume.  This is the Stanford Tree taking a rest:

The 2014 Redwood City Fourth of July Parade: The poor Stanford Tree was most deserving of a break; it must have been sweltering under that costume.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.