rantlust » heppo

Doshas: No in the city, right?

heppo — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 02:45:53 +0000

Gotta tell you… I love Colombian food. I crave it all the time (and I’m in that time where cravings are at a high). And it would be hard for anyone to make me believe that there is anything more comforting than one’s own country’s food. Except doshas… I have to thank my friend Prem who introduced them to me back in college. He took me to a very little dinghy restaurant that would make anyone question the quality of the food.

He suggested a Masala Dosha. It changed me for ever.

I have to admit that I haven’t found many places in the Bay Area that offer them. Yet, the other night, in search for a new adventure and while walking on the mission district, we found a great place! We had no reservations, walked into “Dosa,” and got seated right away. I guess we were quite lucky because within 1/2 an hour the place had a line outside.

In one of my pregnant cravings, I sent Jose to get me a Masala Dosha and Prawns in coconut sauce (which are to die for!!). Apparently, the lines are now around the block…

So I’m a happy pregnant woman… Blocks away (and close to each other) are a Colombian and a dosha restaurant.

They do exist!

Only in the city (part deux)

heppo — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 22:46:37 +0000

My recent post expressed admiration for life in San Francisco. I wrote about our $50,000 warrant homeless neighbor and how unimportant of the fact he lived across the street, seemed to my building’s residents.

I really don’t have news about our self help to computers, phones, credit cards, guns guest in such warehouse. I do have news about the owners of the warehouse.

The proposed building is up for a city hearing in September. The owners (Vangard) have requested for our building’s owners to support the project. In doing so, the lady in the stripped suit (see my last comment) has managed to insult us and leave us with no option to support them (in spite of the insults). Clever girl.

It seems that the frustrated board members caught their attention and Vangard has taken action in cleaning up their property. They removed the abandoned van, painted over most of the graffiti and, even tore down a bush tree. What else would we expect? How about removal of all the pieces of the torned bush. And the trash their uninvited guest has left behind? And how about closing the self made entrance made by their “self helping to others stuff” guest.
Her opinion is that looking around the rest of the area, they are doing pretty well. Can we now have your support? she said.

It would be easy not to support them, but here is the catch. If we don’t support them now, they might get support later. Who cares, right? Not so fast…the city has thrown another card at them. They are now entitled to build 10 feet higher than before. Thus our building units will lose some of its very high paid views of downtown or bay bridge.

Conclusion: The city has taken my prisoner and I now have become the “don’t care much about the criminal, but the graffiti on the wall” individual, which I ranted about in my last post. I say this in protest to Vangard…don’t deal with them…how can one trust a pin stripe suited human being: man or woman?

Only in the city!!!

heppo — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 18:03:57 +0000

Who would have thought board meetings could be exciting… I guess only in the city of San Francisco.. and I guess only in our neighborhood…No we don’t live in Pacific Hights… that would just be the same as living in the souburbs (can’t even spell the word). We chose to live in an up and coming area (of course). How else could we expose our child to the realities of humanity (read on to see what I mean)…

Our last board meeting had some visitors which included:

the rich, money seeking builder,
his work partner who happened to be a woman dressed in a very expensive, old fashioned stripped mens Armani suit (hence only work partner)
and a police officer

The meeting started with a long detailed explanation about the building to be constructed just infront of ours. Very nice, I thought.. It will replace that old warehouse which is just housing trouble..But what does a police officer have to do with any of this (I kept asking myself)…Apparently, my thoughts were quite loud because she was quite aware how much I was staring at her…

Finally, they let her talk.. She started describing the police strategy for cleaning up the neighborhood (apparently, known for its “drug consuming without houses” neighbors). Yes, homeless.. every city has to have them.

She then proceded to explain that after many raids, only one of these individuals was still left living in the proposed building site. This individual has a $50,000.00 warrant (ok you bounty hunters, get your gear ready). During the last raid, he managed to escape the police. In the warehouse, they found stolen phones, computers, ids, credit cards, etc…She promised to have the guy arrested by that night…Yes, people, no need to watch cops on tv… too low definition… come to our house and we’ll provide a real high def. (as high as it gets) persecution of our neighborhood criminal (at least one of them). And if you catch him, they’ll give you $$$$. Not even fear factor can match this experience…BTW, he also is known to have guns.

Of course, all of these kinda bothered me (specially while holding Sebastian) but not as much of what happened next….

One of the board members started insulting the developer. Was it because his warehouse soon to be gorgeous building is housing such criminal? NO!!! Because the looks of the warehouse are undermining the looks of our building…There is even an abandoned van!!! with graffiti on it, many of the board members shouted in panic…

Hello, folks!!! There is a criminal living right in front of us, with a gun, who the fuck cares about graffiti…I tell you.. Only in the city!

Neverland: I found it

heppo — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 20:03:56 +0000

As new parents, we have relinquish our right to go to the cinema to netflix (signed contract and everything)… Long are the days where I had the freedom of choosing the movies I wanted to see.. I now have my own movie consultant, who doesn’t really consult but dictates. So, being married to a true anti communist, I find myself under a totalitarian dictatorship as far as movies go… Hence, I’m subject to my consultant’s moods.. We just survived the “depressed, I want to kill myself” movie batch. On Sunday, we got to see Finding Neverland.

Here is the interesting part. I’m not sure if I loved the movie because of:
* Hey here is a not so depressing movie so I don’t want to kill myself today
* I have properly assumed my role as a mother and hence become a full package of sentimental crap
* OR it is just a really good, well done, well acted, well scripted movie.

What ever case it is, I highly recommend it!

the new

heppo — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 16:53:31 +0000

blogging: is it for everyone? is it for me? do people want to know what i think?

This litte experiment I have joined will provide proper scientific proof that at times all I think or say is just bullshit or as we properly say in my language: pura mierda…

I never been a good self proclaimed writer… Some times it flows and some times it doesn’t. I guess this would be the only time when having diarrhea is a good thing.. I shall call it: Brain diarrhea

right now my brain is constipated….(Now, aren’t you glad that Anup invited me to this and aren’t you looking forward for my next post)